The 49ers are where the Raiders were three years ago – drastically undermanned, in the midst of unrelenting losing, and with Fort Knox-like money under the salary cap. Obviously, the 10-2 Raiders have made the right moves in hiring coach Jack Del Rio, drafting players like Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, and acquiring players like …

Andre Hardy is not going to be the next Antonio Gates, at least not for the Raiders.
The Raiders waived the tight end on Monday, a month after they signed the basketball player out of Cal State Fullerton. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Hardy averaged 8.0 poi… …

In bottom-of the-roster transactions, the Niners signed Bakhtiari and Hannula, who both played for Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego in 2006. Both attended the three-day rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. San Francisco waived Murphy and Matthews, who also played for Harbaugh at USD and spent much of last year on the practice squad. …

To those up in arms, I invite you to travel back to early June when Smith, the No. 7 overall pick, arrived at San Jose State during the lockout for his first workout with veteran teammates such as Justin Smith, Isaac Sopoaga, Ray McDonald and Parys Haralson. …

Jim Harbaugh got the boys back together this past week, and it was an impressive sight.
There was a decided confidence and swagger surrounding the 49ers as they gathered in Santa Clara for some light workouts. Scanning the field, you could see marquee … …

Last year, Alex Smith had the best season of his career under the guidance of Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback hailed for his ability to coach players at that position.
Now, in an effort to take the next step in 2012, Smith has teamed with Tom Ho… …

A.J. Jenkins isn’t ready to run “The Hill” with Jerry Rice.
On the first day of the 49ers’ three-day rookie minicamp Friday, the first-round pick discovered there is being in shape. And then there’s being in NFL shape.
And he needs to do some additiona… …

In late March, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith spent a week with renowned former major-league pitching coach Tom House at the Rod Dedeaux Research and Baseball Institute at USC. The purpose of the visit to the center devoted to the science of pitching was to clean up Smith’s throwing mechanics and improve the strength around his right shoulder on which Smith had surgeries in 2007 and ’08. …

Former Washington State head coach Paul Wulff has been hired by the 49ers as an offensive assistant, according to Cougfan.com. A former rival of Jim Harbaugh in the Pac-10, Wulff had a 9-40 record at WSU from 2008-11, including a 4-32 record in conference. Wulff, 45, had a 53-40 record at Eastern Washington from 2000-07. …

A.J. Jenkins isn’t ready to run “The Hill” with Jerry Rice. On the first day of the 49ers’ rookie minicamp this morning, the first-round pick discovered there is being in shape. And then there’s being in NFL shape. …

(05-10) 21:09 PDT — More than any of his teammates, 49ers safety Donte Whitner knows from personal experience how dominant Randy Moss was in his prime.
Whitner first made Moss’ acquaintance in 2007, when Moss, then with the Patriots, had 15 catches f… …

(05-10) 20:44 PDT — On the first day of the 49ers’ offseason program, offensive line coach Mike Solari took Alex Boone into a meeting room and delivered news that blindsided the offensive tackle: He would be moving to guard, a position he’d never pla… …

On the first day of the 49ers’ offseason program, offensive line coach Mike Solari took Alex Boone into a meeting room and delivered news that blindsided the offensive tackle: He would be moving to guard, a position he’d never played at any level. …

In Donte Whitner’s first game against Randy Moss, the then-Patriots wide receiver had five catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-7 win over the Bills in 2007. In Whitner’s second game against Moss? The stat line was even more impressive – 10 catches for 128 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-10 romp over Buffalo on Nov. 18, 2007. …

How did he look running routes against air (the 49ers can’t practice offense vs. defense at this stage of the offseason)? He still appears to have better-than-average speed, good hands (he did drop at least one 50-yard pass) and is in good condition, based on the fact that he wasn’t huffing and puffing after running a series of go routes. …

OK, so his competition included Dixie State and Simon Fraser, the latter of which refers to a school in British Columbia, not a person. Still, it’s impressive to watch left tackle Jason Slowey give the rag-doll treatment to scores of defenders in the highlight video below from his senior year at Division II Western Oregon University. …

The only one of the team’s seven draftees to agree to terms, Slowey’s four-year deal was taken care of last week, five days after he was drafted. In a phone interview today, Slowey said his conversation with his agent, Joe Linta, wasn’t really a conversation at all, more of a mutual agreement that a deal should be reached quickly. …